Ferrari, which has been saying that it would explore a V12 hybrid powertrain, made further hints of a Ferrari hybrid in the future at the launch of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta last month, UK’s Autocar reported.
The Italian automaker described the upcoming car as “the first in a new generation of V12s,” according to the publication. Ferrari will “introduce a green factor” to its cars to ensure that its fleetwide greenhouse-gas emissions doesn’t worsen, said Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa. Two years ago, Ferrari started including its HY-KERS regenerative breaking system on the Ferrari 599 GTB in order to improve fuel economy through electric energy. Felisa also said that the company may reintroduce V6 engines, though it was “far away in the future.”
Ferrari started making a lot of noise about potential engine electrification in 2010, when Felisa first said that the successor to Ferrari’s Enzo model may have a V12 that’s paired with an electric motor. Later that year, Autocar reported that Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo was looking at developing a V6 engine in an effort to develop a more fuel-efficient model than its eight-, ten- and twelve-cylinder powertrains.
Last August, Montezemolo told AutoblogGreen sister publication Engadget that the company was “working very, very hard on the hybrid Ferrari.” He also added that the public “will never see a Ferrari electric because I don’t believe in electric cars.”
For those keeping track of such things (or those with a sense of humor), Ferrari isn’t exactly saving trees when it comes to fuel economy. In the U.S., its 458 Italia Coupe and Italia Spider each get 18 miles per gallon combined, while the Ferrari California gets 15 mpg combined. And the V12 Ferrari FF gets 13 mpg combined, according to the EPA.
